Essence and Nimble 0.2

Two more major theme updates (these now makefour) for Nimble and Essence. Similar to the Diverse and Knowledgebase updates, these theme updates are almost all code re-factoring/restructuring, and improvements. The major changes include:

Nimble

Dropped support for WooTumblog functionality (more on this below)

get_template_part() is now being properly utilized, and incorrect calls now use locate_template()

I decided to drop WooTumblog functionality from Nimble for a few reasons. First, I was prompted by a topic in the support forums. The Tumblog functinality provided by WooThemes was not providing a very easy and intuitive experience when adding posts. The Dashboard Widget is not styled like the rest of WordPress, and is not set up to mimic the standardized Post Formats provided by WordPress. It was taking users more time trying to figure out why the Dashboard widget was not working properly than to just go to the “Posts > Add New” screen.

Next, by removing the 3rd-party Post Format wrapper functionality, the theme becomes a lot more future-proof. Now I am better able to provide support for the theme, as the functionality is 100% built-in to WordPress, not an extra custom layer. WordPress 3.1 also added support for mobile applications to define post formats, so you will likely see the mobile applications add Post Format support in the near future. This along with plans for an updated QuickPress widget in future WordPress release’s means you will soon have a fully integrated experience.

Essence

get_template_part() is now being properly utilized, and incorrect calls now use locate_template()

About These Updates

There are a few motivations for these recent theme updates (our next, Practical, should be released soon). The migration from using Theme Options for things like a Custom Logo to using WordPress’s built-in Custom Header functionality stem from my goal of better following WordPress’s development philosophy, as well as trying to prevent the “lock-in” effect on our users.

By forcing a site administrator to set up a WordPress theme (adding a custom logo, favicon, tracking code, HTML-based shortcodes, etc), the site is being built around that specific theme, instead of being built around WordPress. This ties the user down to that theme, and that theme only. Once another theme is activated, their logo, and anything else controlled by Theme Options is possibly lost. The name “Theme Options” implies theme-specific options, but that is not the case in a lot of themes today. Many themes now come bundled with options that are better handled by Plugins. Plugins are not theme-specific, and allow for their additions/changes to be carried from theme to theme. It makes a lot more sense to install a Google Analytics plugin that will work with any theme, rather than having to re-add the code to each theme you switch to.

Get the Update or Buy

Existing Bundle customers (or people who purchased Essence or Nimble individually) will receive an update URL, or you can use your previous download URL that was sent to you at the time of your original purchase.

New & Updated

Two more major theme updates (these now make four) for Nimble and Essence. Similar to the Diverse and Knowledgebase updates, these theme updates are almost all code re-factoring/restructuring, and improvements. The major changes include: Nimble…

The Showcase

We've got an awesome showcase page set up, ready to display your blogs on. Once you’ve installed one of our themes on your blog and made some modifications to make it unique, reply here, or send an email...